Page 63 of The Village Inn of Secret Dream

Finally, Pete had insisted that the bar stools and comfy chairs be reupholstered and Belle had chosen a dark brown leather which would be both practical and comfortable.

The new lighting behind the bar worked far better and the whole place looked fresher but still with a comfortable atmosphere.

She had swapped photos with her aunt and uncle after they had sailed through the Panama Canal. They had both been impressed by the new fittings and their reaction confirmed what she had felt. She had thought that she would hate the different feel of the place, but actually she always found herself smiling when she entered the bar area as she was so pleased with the result.

Belle had begun to think that a few changes weren’t a bad thing, after all.

Although she was still worried about Pete’s plans for the restaurant, she had decided to place her trust in him.

He had looked quite shocked when she had told him so.

‘Really?’ he said. ‘No more arguments?’

She shook her head. ‘No, I’m all argued out.’

He looked at her for a long time before finally speaking, ‘Well, then, maybe we can start being friends again.’

She nodded. ‘That would be nice,’ she had replied.

But not nearly enough, she realised.

The only thing she could think of was when he had caught her in just a towel outside the bathroom a week or so ago. Then he had looked at her in such a way that breathing had become almost impossible.

But it was crazy. It was just a crush. After all, there was no way that Pete was ever going to think of her like that.

35

Four days before the official opening of the inn’s new restaurant, Belle was busy sorting out the tableware.

There was so much still to organise, but Pete was adamant that they opened that Saturday night. The much-hyped restaurant reviewer had been booked, as had a couple of the other tables. Friends and villagers were going to make up the numbers so that the restaurant would be full.

Belle looked around the restaurant area. It looked so different now to the abandoned, dusty room it had been only a short time ago. With the raised ceiling revealing the oak beams that rose to an apex into the roof, it should have felt much more light and airy, but the new furniture did much to offset that airiness. Pete had chosen dark brown tables and chairs, which were quite stark to look at. In addition, he hadn’t used either her suggestion of a candle on each table, nor coloured napkins. Everything was either dark brown or grey. But maybe that was the fashion, thought Belle. After all, she had never eaten at a fancy restaurant.

Neither had their new restaurant staff, she suspected. But at least they now had a waiter and waitress to help serve the customers. They were Brad’s friends, a blonde girl, Cassie, and a guy with ginger dreadlocks called Aaron.

A tap on one of the front windows made her look up. Amber waved at her through the glass whilst Josh appeared to be carrying a rather large box.

Belle headed to the other end of the restaurant where the new patio doors had been installed to let them in. She was looking forward to the summer when the doors could be flung open and more tables could be arranged on the patio space outside. Admittedly, it still needed fixing as the patio was so wonky that customers were likely to trip over the uneven paving slabs. If the inn was still in business by then, she reminded herself. As well as whether she would even be living there.

There were so many uncertainties that all Belle felt she could do was to concentrate on each day, otherwise her anxiety would be sky-high.

She unlocked the door and let Josh and Amber inside.

‘It’s pouring out there,’ said Amber, shaking her long blonde hair out from under the hood of her anorak.

‘Right, where shall I put this?’ asked Josh, still carrying the huge box.

‘Down here is fine,’ said Belle, pointing to the floor. ‘Was today Grandma Tilly’s appointment at the opticians?’

‘Tomorrow,’ said Amber.

‘Can’t believe she didn’t tell any of us how much she was struggling,’ said Josh, rolling his eyes.

‘Hopefully it’ll be something easy to sort,’ said Belle, repeating the same words she had told Pete. ‘So, is that box what I think it is?’

Amber smiled and nodded. ‘It is.’

Belle clapped her hands together. ‘How exciting.’ She went forward and pulled open the box that Josh had placed onto the oak floorboards. Inside were lots of handmade napkin rings in various intricate designs of silver.